


Obvious

by T_Mina



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Casually Xenophobic Leonard McCoy, Ferrying Diplomats, Five Year Mission, Idiots in Love, Jim and Spock have like almost no lines oops, Leonard "Bones" McCoy is So Done, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Leonard "Bones" McCoy, POV Outsider, POV Third Person, The whole crew knows, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:53:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23716231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_Mina/pseuds/T_Mina
Summary: Leonard McCoy is tired of watching Jim and Spock dance around each other, and finds unexpected validation while venting to an alien diplomat.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock
Comments: 13
Kudos: 159





	Obvious

**Author's Note:**

> I really seem to like writing outsider perspective fics for some reason? At least for the shorter ones. This is my third Bones' POV fic, haha. I've got some multi-chapter Spirk stuff in the works that are from Spock/Jim's POV so if that might interest you, stay tuned!

It was _obvious_ that Captain James T. Kirk and his first officer, Commander Spock were madly, deeply, totally in love with each other. _Painfully_ obvious. To everyone. Well, everyone except _them_ of course.

On the best days their mutual ignorance of each other’s feelings was _hilarious._ So funny, in fact, that Lieutenant Sulu had expressly forbidden anyone aboard the ship from revealing the truth to either of them. An edict to which Leonard McCoy, the ship’s Chief Medical Officer, had reluctantly agreed.

Yes, Sulu was right, it was probably best that Jim and Spock figured out their feelings on their own. And yes, they _would_ figure it out eventually, Leonard was sure of that. It was just too damn _noticeable_. And they weren’t _idiots._ Spock was a _Vulcan,_ for heaven’s sake! The species that was practically infamous for their supercomputer-like brains.

But on other days—days when Leonard started to doubt that those two really were as smart as their Starfleet files said they were—watching those two dance around each other, so clearly smitten, but saying nothing was downright _infuriating._ And it became doubly so when the _Enterprise_ was carrying a visitor—a diplomat, some alien dignitary, or heaven help them all _Starfleet brass_ —and they felt the need to say something.

It wasn’t always the _same_ something. That at least made things interesting.

Some people had a better idea of what was really going on at a first glance, and simply made vague comments toward either Spock or Jim about _following their hearts._ Comments that earned feigned confusion from Jim— _I don’t know what you’re talking about,_ he’d say _._ And which earned blank stares from Spock that were occasionally accompanied by some overly pedantic comment, like— _one cannot actually follow a heart anywhere since it is a bodily organ and cannot travel of its own accord._

But other people just would _not_ get the hint. No matter how clear the rest of the crew tried to be with their pantomiming the letter “X” over and over behind the captain’s and commander’s backs, and their constant hisses of “shhh!”, certain people would not leave it alone.

And today, it seemed like, was going to be one of _those_ days.

Leonard had thought they were safe when the Federation ambassador they were supposed to pick up and transport to a recently discovered M-Class planet on the edge of Federation territory turned out to be a Vulcan. Members of that species weren’t much for emotions, _period._ So Leonard had assumed the obvious pining between Spock and Jim would go completely ignored. But he’d been wrong. _So_ wrong.

T’Vel was the picture of emotionlessness herself. But as an ambassador, she professed a vested interest in understanding the relationships between everyone in her surroundings. Because apparently, she was better at diplomacy when she understood who was affiliated with who and how. Or at least, that was what she said. 

And Leonard guessed it sort of made sense. After all, it was easier to negotiate when you knew how much what mattered to whom. But Leonard had no idea how to answer T’Vel’s questions.

“How would you characterize the relationship between Captain Kirk and Commander Spock?” T’Vel asked him directly, only two hours into their trip. And Leonard could only thank his lucky stars she had chosen to corner him in private. “Is it romantic? Platonic? Or some other category. I am not sure I know all the relevant technical terms.”

Leonard, who’d tried to explain what was going on in the most diplomatic terms one too many times, finally snapped. “I believe the technical term you’re looking for is ‘pretty gay’,” he snarked.

T’Vel did not recoil in shock as Leonard expected her to. Or ask for clarification of what Leonard meant. Instead, apparently familiar with the Terran terms for different sexual orientations, she merely tilted her head curiously.

“You concur with me then, that their relationship is amorous in nature?”

“Well yeah, anyone with _eyes_ can see that,” Leonard grumbled.

“Commander Spock, does not agree,” T’Vel noted. “He insisted most fervently that ‘nothing’ was happening between him and Captain Kirk, when I broached the topic with them approximately 1.24 hours ago.”

“Oh, they’re both in denial,” Leonard allowed, waving a dismissive hand. “But it’s pretty obvious.”

T’Vel shook her head lightly. “How illogical.”

“That they’re in love?” Leonard asked.

He felt a little defensive at the idea. Jim and Spock were absolute _fools_ in love _._ But they were _his_ fools. And he’d be damned if he’d let anyone—high-falutin’ Vulcan Ambassador or not—make fun of their relationship.

But to Leonard’s relief, T’Vel shook her head again. “No. The fact that they both wish for an affectionate relationship with one another is actually quite logical. They seem… particularly suited to one another despite their many apparent differences. And the attraction is quite obviously mutual.”

Leonard resisted the urge to laugh. “ _Painfully_ obvious,” he agreed.

“And yet, they refuse to _acknowledge_ their regard for one another. It is most irrational.”

Leonard sighed. “You’re telling me.”


End file.
